F 
782 


F4 


EXCAVATION  AND  REPAIR 

OF  SUN  TEMPLE 

MESA  VERDE  NATIONAL  PARK 


DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR 
OFFICE  OF  THE  SECRETARY 

19J6 


or  sale  by  the  Superintendent  of  Documents,  Government  Printing  Office,  Washington,  D.  C.    Price,  1 5  cents. 


^1^%, 


pv' 


EXCAYATIOli  AND  REPAIR  OF  SUN  TEMPLE. 

By  J.  Walter  Fewkes,  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology. 

INTRODUCTION. 

By  the  direction  ol  the  Secretary  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  at 
the  request  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  the  excavation  and  repair 
of  ruins  in  the  Mesa  Verde  National  Park  were  continued  during  the 
summer  of  1915.  The  mound  which  has  been  heretofore  known  as 
Community  House,  but  which  shoukl  pro2:)erly  be  known  as  Sun 
Temple,  was  chosen  for  excavation,  its  walls  opened  and  a  large 
l)uilding  brought  to  light.  The  exposed  walls  were  thoroughly 
repaired  in  the  manner  best  fitted  to  resist  the  action  of  the  elements, 
which  are  most  destructive  in  a  ruin  not  protected  ])y  the  roof  of  a 
cave,  but  exposed  to  the  violent  storms  and  rains  of  this  region. 

At  the  close  of  a  report  on  field  work  at  Cliff  Palace,  in  1909, 
I  called  attention  to  a  mound  of  stones  on  the  point  of  the  mesa 
directly  across  Cliff  Canyon  and  suggested  that  it  might  conceal  an 
ancient  pueblo  ruin.^  The  majority  of  stones  strewn  over  this 
mound  showed  pecking  on  their  surfaces  and  other  well-marked 
signs  of  having  been  worked  artificially,  indicating  the  character  of  the 
m.asonry  in  the  walls  of  the  ancient  building  buried  beneath  it. 
Enough  soil  had  accumulated  on  the  mound  formed  by  these  stones 
to  allow  the  growth  of  red  cedar  and  pinyon  trees,  the  size  of  which 
indicated  great  age.  A  smaU  exposed  section  of  wall  appeared  on 
the  surface  on  the  north  side  of  the  mound,  where  a  room  had  been 
partially  dug  out  by  some  person  in  search  of  relics.  Although  the 
shape  of  the  building,  if  any,  which  might  exist  under  the  mound 
was  not  apparent  at  that  time,  the  number  of  artilicially  worked 
stones  and  their  well-dressed  surfaces  indicated  the  existence  of  a 
large  building,  like  a  pueblo,  and  as  such  it  was  referred  to  in  the 
r(>port  on  Cliff  Palace.  My  interest  in  this  mound  of  cnirtli  and  stones 
was  so  great  that  I  desired  greatl}'  to  solve  the  mystery,  and  when  an 
opportunity  cauK^  to  renew  my  work  on  the  ruins  of  tlie  Mesa  A'erde 
National  Park,  I  naturally  chose  it  for  my  operations. 

The  mound  presented  several  advantages  for  work,  for  whatever 
buildmg  it  concealed  could  be  conveniently  seen  l)y  tourists  or 
students  of  archaH)logy  visiting  Cliff  Palace.  It  was  only  2  miles 
from  vSpruce  Tree  House  and  a  sliort  walk  from  other  large  ruins. 

1  Bulletin  51,  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology,  p.  VS. 


7}2\2U[) 


*Sim'  MMpLS/  Ml-JSA^  VERDE    NATIONAL   PARK. 


SUlSr    TEMPLE^    MESA   VEEDE    NATIONAL    PARK.  5 

A  more  important  consideration  was  tliat  it  presented  evidences 
that  the  buried  buikling  belonged  to  a  unique  type  of  ruin  in  the 
Mesa  Verde,  and  gave  promise  of  adding  an  important  chapter  to 
our  Iviiowledge  of  the  prehistoric  peopk>  who  formerly  made  their 
home  in  the  Mesa  Verde  National  Park.  These  hopes  were  realized, 
and  the  results  of  three  months'  work  on  this  mound  were  more  strik- 
ing than  had  been  expected.  There  was  brought  to  light  a  type  of 
ruin  (fig.  1)  hitherto  imlmown  in  the  park,  and,  as  was  well  expressed 
by  a  visitor,  the  building  excavated  shows  the  best  masonry  and  is 


Fig.  2. — View  of  Sun  Temple  and  Cliff  Palace. 
(Photograph  by  T.  G.  Lemmon.) 

the  most  mysterious  struc-ture  yet  discovered  jii  a  region  rich  in  so 
many  prehistoric  remains.  Although  at  fii-st  there  was  some  doubt 
as  to  the  use  of  this  building,  it  was  early  recognized  that  it  was  not 
constructed  for  habitation,  and  it  is  now  believed  that  it  was  intended 
for  the  performance  of  rites  and  ceremonies;  the  first  of  its  type  yet 
recognized  in  the  Southwest. 

The  rum  was  purposely  constructed  in  a  coiuniaudiiig  situation 
(fig.  2)  in  the  neighborhood  of  large  inha1)i((>(l  cUff  houses.  It  sets 
somewhat  back  from  tlie  e<l<r(>  of  the  canvoii,  l)ut  lu-ar   enougli  to 


6  SUX    TEMPLE,  MESA   VEEDE    NATIONAL   PARK. 

present  a  marked  ol)j(H't  from  all  sides,  especially  the  neighboring 
mesas.  It  must  have  presented  an  imposing  appearance  rising  on  top 
of  a  point  high  above  inaccessible,  perpendicular  cliffs.  The  mound 
is  situated  on  a  spur  of  the  picturesque  Cliaphi  Mesa  separating  two 
deep  canyons.  From  it  one  can  look  southward  down  Soda  Canyon 
to  the  Mancos  River  on  the  banks  of  which  a  group  of  cottonwood 
trees  can  be  seen  on  a  clear  day.  This  superb  view  is  rivaled  by  one 
of  almost  equal  beauty,  looking  east  across  Cliff  Canyon  into  the 
cave  in  which  is  situated  Cliff  Palace,  the  largest  cliff  dwelling  of 
the  park.  In  a  cave  of  the  precipice  below  Sun  Palace  there  is  a 
solitary  almost  inaccessible  cliff  house,  and  in  a  cavern  not  far  up 
the  canyon  is  Oak  Tree  (Willow)  House,  and  the  mysterious  dance 
plaza,  called  Painted  House. ^  Other  cliff  dwellings  are  visible  from 
the  ruin,  which  is  practically  situated  near  the  central  point  of  a  con- 
siderable prehistoric  population.  No  better  place  could  have  been 
chosen  for  a  religious  building  in  which  the  inhabitants  of  many 
cliff  dwellings  could  gather  and  together  perform  their  great  cere- 
monial dramas. 

The  mound  that  marked  the  site  of  this  ruin  was  not  even  mentioned 
in  the  classic  work,  Cliff  Dwellers  of  the  Mesa  Verde,  by  Baron  Nor- 
denskiold;  nor  has  it  been  regarded  as  worthy  of  notice  by  other 
early  authors.  It  has  been  referred  to  by  me  as  a  ruined  pueblo,  and 
on  the  latest  map  is  designated  Community  House,^  a  name  also  ap- 
plied, by  mistake,  to  a  cliff  dwelluig  of  some  size  situated  in  a  cavern 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  entrance  to  Cliff  Canyon.  The  literature 
of  this  ruin  may  then  be  said  to  begin,  practically,  with  the  present 
report,  although  brief  mentions  of  the  building  may  be  found  in  news- 
papers of  the  past  summer. 

GROUND  PLAN. 

The  ground  plan,  shown  in  figure  7,  has  been  well  compared  to  the 
letter  D.  The  building  is  formed  of  two  sections,  the  larger  of  which 
taken  separately  is  also  D-shaped  and  may  be  called  the  original 
l)uil(ling,  while  the  smaller,  forming  the  west  end,  is  of  later  (?)  con- 
struction and  may  be  known  as  the  Annex.  The  south  wall,  which  is 
straight,  is  common  to  both  original  building  and  Annex  and  extends 
from  the  southeast  corner  of  the  ruin  directly  east-west  121.7  feet. 
The  portion  of  this  wall  from  the  recess  to  the  east  corner  has  exactly 
the  same  length  as  that  to  the  junction  of  the  original  building  with 
the  Annex.     The  western  end  of  the  original  building,  on  the  south 

1  On  the  walls  of  one  of  the  rooms  at  the  west  end  of  this  plaza  are  found  some  of  the  best  mural  paintings 
in  the  Mesa  Verde. 

2  The  name  "Community  House"  is  not  the  best  designation  for  this  ruin.  It  was  not  intended  as  a 
secular  house,  but  more  likely  a  sacred  edifice,  and  might  with  perfect  propriety  be  called  a  cerenionial 
building.  There  are  evidences  that  will  appear  later  that  a  shrine  on  the  southwest  corner  was  used  in 
sun  worship. 


SUN    TEMPLE,    MESA   VERDE    NATIONAL    PARK.  7 

sido,  is  indicated  by  a  well-made  corner  line  and  is  marked  by  an 
offset  in  the  foundation.  The  junction  of  the  original  building  and 
the  beginning  of  the  Annex  wall  are  not  apparent  in  the  masonry 
of  the  north  wall,  but  are  indicated  on  the  stones  of  the  wall.  The 
fine  curved  north  wall  of  the  original  building  and  of  the  Annex  blend 
so  perfectly  that  the  vertical  lino  of  their  junction  can  not  be  made 
out  m  the  masonry,  but  is  indicated  by  an  incised  cross  that  was 
evidently  placed  there  for  this  definite  purpose. 

The  foundation  walls  of  the  l)uilding,  tliroughout  most  of  their 
length,  rest  on  the  solid  rock  of  the  cliff.  There  are  about  1,000  feet 
of  walls  in  the  whole  building  and  its  inclosed  kivas;  it  has  28,000 
cubic  feet,  or  1,292  perches,  of  stone  masonry  in  its  present  condition, 
and  had  not  far  from  1,900  perches  before  the  walls  began  to  crumble. 

The  width  of  the  ruin  at  its  widest  portion  is  64  feet.  The  walls 
average  4  feet  in  thickness,  and  are  composed  of  a  central  core  made 
of  rubble  and  adobe,  with  two  facings  made  of  well-dressed  rock, 
which,  however,  were  not  tied  into  the  core  and  present  a  serious 
architectural  defect. 

Pueblo  ruins  of  D-shape  are  rare  in  the  Southwest;  the  best  kno^^^l 
being  Pueblo  Bonito  in  the  Chaco  Canyon,  New  Mexico,  one  of  the 
largest  of  an  mstructive  group  of  buildings.  The  masonry  of  Pueblo 
Bonito,  according  to  Jackson,^  is  quite  dissimilar  in  different  regions 
of  the  walls,  "showing  clearly  that  it  was  either  built  at  different 
periods,  or  that  it  has  been  partly  demolished  and  then  rel)uilt." 

In  that  respect,  as  well  as  others,  Pueblo  Bonito  and  Sun  Temple 
are  alike.  Although  there  are  some  slight  differences  in  the  masonry 
of  the  xVnnex  and  the  main  buildmg,  as  a  whole  all  the  walls  are  uni- 
formly well  made.  The  rooms  in  Pueblo  Bonito  were  constructed 
at  intervals  and  vary  in  workmanship,  the  resultant  ground  plan 
becoming  D-shaped.  The  D-shaped  plan  (fig.  3)  of  Sun  Temple  was 
not  due  to  successive  additions,  but  was  intentional  from  the  first 
work  upon  its  foundation.  The  kivas  in  the  original  building  resem- 
ble those  of  Chaco  C^myon  ruins,  but  the  kiva  of  the  Annex  has  sur- 
rounding rooms  that  remind  one  of  the  semicircular  ' '  towers ''  inclosed 
by  a  wall,  with  partitions  separating  encircling  apartments  like  those 
reported  as  common  in  Ruin  Canyon  and  tli<>  Mancos  Valley. 

NUMBER  OF  ROOMS  AND    DIMENSIONS. 

The  rooms  in  this  l)uilding  vary  in  form  and  type,  one  kintl  being 
circular,  the  other  rectangular.  The  circular  rooms  are  identified  as 
kivas  or  sacred  rooms;  the  pur})ose  of  the  rectangular  room  is  un- 
known. There  are  two  circular  rooms  or  kivas  of  about  ecpial  size  in 
the  orighial  building,  and  a  third  occupies  the  center  of  (he  Annex. 

>  Report  on  ancient  ruins  examined  in  1875  and  1877:  Tenth  Ann.  Kept.  U.  S.  Geol.  Surv.  Terr.,  1879. 


SUN    TEMPLE,  MESA   VEKDE    NATIONAL   PARK. 


SUX    TEMPLE,    MESA   VEEDE    NATIONAL    PARK.  9 

A  circular  pit,  not  a  kiva,  tho  function  of  wliicli  is  unknown,  lies  a 
few  feet  east  and  north  of  kiva  A  not  far  from  the  junction  of  tlie 
orighial  l)uilding  and  the  Annex.  The  walls  of  this  room  were  con- 
structed of  rough,  undressed  stone,  and  when  its  interior  was  cleaned 
out  the  room  was  found  to  be  fiUed  with  undressed  stones  varying  in 
size  from  a  handful  to  a  small  fragment.  There  are  23  other  rooms; 
14  of  these  are  in  the  original  building.  Several  of  tliese  have  curved 
walls,  others  are  parallel  and  straight.  Of  the  rooms  witli  curved  walls 
three  had  entrances  from  the  roofs,  four  had  lateral  doors  into  the 
])laza,  and  the  remainder  are  arranged  in  two  series,  the  members  of 
wliich  communicate  with  each  other.  None  of  the  rooms  of  tlie 
Annex  have  lateral  doorways,  althougli  an  outside  entrance  formerly 
existed  in  room  y.  The  rooms  a,  h,  c,  d,  and/;  and  o,  ?i,  m,  and  I  of 
the  original  building  are  connected  by  passageways  of  peculiar  con- 
struction. Each  passageway  in  the  rooms  that  are  connected  has  a 
pilaster  on  each  side,  across  the  tops  of  which  evidently  were  once  laid 
wooden  beams  supporting  a  solid  wall  of  masonry  above  the  doorway. 
Tliis  supported  wall  has,  as  a  rule,  fallen  in  most  cases,  but  one  of 
the  wooden  supports  with  the  wall  still  above  it  remains  in  place 
between  rooms  e  and  /.  Althougli  in  some  instances  the  height  of 
the  wall  in  several  rooms  is  over  11  feet,  there  are  no  rows  of  holes  for 
the  insertion  of  former  wooden  floor  or  roof  joists. 

Not  a  single  room,  either  circular  or  rectangular,  shows  any  signs 
of  plastering,  but  all  joints  between  stones  from  the  bottom  to  top 
were  carefully  pointed  with  adobe  and  generally  chiiiked  with  stones, 
the  impression  of  human  fingers  and  pahns  of  small  hantls  of  tho  work- 
men, probably  women,  still  showing  in  the  clay  mortar.  No  tool  of 
any  kind  seems  to  have  been  employed  as  a  trowel.  Probably  the 
builders  never  intended  to  plaster  the  walls,  for  if  this  had  been  done 
engraved  stones  set  in  the  wall  would  be  invisible.  The  stones  of 
the  wall  were  brought  to  a  cubical  shape  by  pecking,  the  pits  made 
on  their  surfaces  with  stone  tools  shovvmg  plainly  on  every  piece. 
Many  were  smoothed  by  rubbing.  In  some  specimens  elongated 
grooves  indicate  that  a  chisel  held  in  one  hand  and  struck  with  a 
stone  hammer  was  used  in  fashioning  the  blocks.  The  stones  used 
in  some  of  the  curved  walls  had  a  curved  face  and  slanthig  sides,  their 
bases  and  tops  being  parallel.  The  component  stones  rarely  over- 
lapped and  side  waUs  were  not  bonded.  Tho  principle  of  the  arch 
was  unknown,  but  the  corners  were  practically  perpendicidar,  imj)lv- 
ing  the  use  of  a  plumb  bob.  The  curved  walls  are  among  the  l)est 
in  the  ruin. 

The  unnecessarily  large  quantity  of  adobe  in  the  j  obits  is  a  weak- 
ness, for  it  allowed  water,  whether  ram  or  melting  snow,  to  penetrate 
between  the  courses  of  stones  or  between  the  facijig  and  the  core. 
When  the  water  froze  tho  walls  were  broken  apart.  This  is  especially 
29276°— 16 2 


10  SUN    TEMPLE,  MESA   VERDE    NATIOXAL   PARK. 

evident  in  the  upper  courses.  The  large  quantity  of  dressed  stones 
that  lillcMl  the  rooms  and  banked  up  against  ])oth  inner  and  outer 
walls  proves  that  the  walls  were  once  higher  by  possibly  6  or  8  feet. 
It  is  not  surprising  that  the  floors  of  kivas  B  and  C  were  not  sunk 
below  the  plaza  level,  for  to  accomplish  this  would  require  excavation 
in  solid  rock;  kiva  A  is  practicall}'  subterranean,  being  surrounded 
by  rooms. 

KIVAS. 

The  rooms  in  the  plaza  have  circular  walls  and  are  identified  as 
kivas.  They  are  unlike  the  sacred  rooms  of  the  neighboring  Cliff 
Palace,  the  kivas  of  which  are  subterranean.  There  is,  however,  the 
foundation  of  a  straight  wall  that  may  have  been  the  beginning  of  a 
square  structure  surrounding  kiva  C.  The  pedestals  or  pilasters,  by 
which  the  roof  of  a  Cliff  Palace  kiva  was  supported,  are  not  found  in 
the  kivas  of  Sun  Temple,  nor  are  there  any  banquettes.  The  floor 
shows  no  signs  of  fireplaces,  deflectors,  or  ceremonial  openings  called 
sipapus,  almost  universal  in  cliff -hous'  kivas  in  the  Mesa  Verde 
National  Park.  It  was  intended  to  ventilate  the  kivas  by  a  waUed 
trench  below  the  floor,  shown  on  the  ground  plan,  extending  beneath 
the  wall  of  kiva  A,  which  no  doubt  served  as  a  ventilator  or  cere- 
monial trench  extending  under  the  floor  of  an  adjoining  room  and 
finally  opening  into  a  vertical  shaft,  the  outer  waU  of  which,  made  of 
rough  stone,  projects  into  the  room  z.  The  walls  of  the  kivas  are 
thick,  composed  of  a  central  core  faced  with  smooth  cubical  stones, 
each  about  the  size  of  a  brick,  finely  smoothed,  but  hi  no  mstance 
built  to  the  top  of  the  outer  wall. 

The  two  largest  kivas,  B  and  C,  are  situated  inside  the  plaza  of 
the  main  building  at  about  equal  distances  from  the  adjacent  walls 
surrounding  the  inclosed  open  space  (fig.  4).  They  are  essentially 
similar  in  construction,  and  are  free  from  all  other  rooms.  Both 
show  equally  well  the  facing  of  small  stones  lining  the  large  rocks  that 
compose  the  interior  or  core  of  the  kiva  waUs.  Each  shows  on  its 
south  margin  ii  narrow  subterranean  trench  with  stone  walls  extend- 
ing from  the  plaza  outside  the  kiva  to  a  little  more  than  half  way  to 
the  middle  of  the  floor.  This  trench  is  a  form  of  ceremonial  entrance, 
and  is  not  very  unlike  a  passageway  under  the  floor  of  kiva  K,  in 
Cliff  Palace.  The  absence  of  deflector  and  fire  hole  is  probably  ex- 
plained on  the  theory  that  the  walls  of  the  kivas,  like  those  of  the 
rest  of  the  building,  were  never  completed.  There  were  no  signs  of 
beams,  logs,  or  other  indications  of  a  roof  and  very  little  adobe  on 
the  floors  of  the  kivas.  The  mass  of  stones  in  the  kivas  plainly 
shows  that  their  waUs  were  formerly  much  higher.  There  were  no 
signs  of  wall  plastering,  and  the  unfinished  character  of  the  walls 


SUN    TEMPLE,    MESA   VEEDE    NATIONAL    PARK, 


11 


and  their  size  were  too  small  to  give  a  very  good  idea  of  details  of 
construction. 

Kiva  A,  situated  in  the  Annex,  is  the  best  preserved  of  all  these 
circular  structures,  and  is  surrounded  by  the  highest  walls  of  Sun 
Temple.  It  lies  embedded  in  a  mass  of  rooms,  the  walls  of  some  of 
which  closely  follow  the  outlines  of  the  outer  walls.  Several  of  these 
siu-rounding  rooms  have  curved  walls  of  fine  masonry,  and  in  their 


J/  m/  rv 

Fig.  4. — Typical  Designs  on  Stones  from  the  Walls. 

relation  to  the  central  kiva  remind  one  somewhat  of  the  double  or 
triple  (?)  walled  ''towers"  that  characterize  some  of  the  Mancos  ruins. 
Under  the  floor  of  one  of  these  rooms,  z^  south  of  kiva  A,  is  a  passage- 
way that  strongly  reminds  one  of  a  cliff  house  ventilator  with  ver- 
tical shaft,  but  there  was  no  indication  of  a  deflector  nor  fireplace  in 
the  kiva  floor.  The  walls  of  kiva  .1  closely  reseml)le  tlie  plaza  kivas, 
B  and  (\  the  thick  wall  of  tliis  room  being  lined  with  a  surface  wall 
constructed  of  small  squared  stones,  each  stone  being  well  laid. 


12  SUN    TEMPLE^  MESA   VERDE    NATIONAL   PARK. 

CIRCULAR    STRUCTURE    OUTSIDE    THE    MAIN    BUILDING. 

Slightly  south  and  ojist  of  a  continuation  of  tho  oastern  end  of 
the  south  wall  lies  a  circular  building  with  walls  4  feet  thick,  which 
lias  some  resemblance  to  a  kiva,  and  closely  resembles  the  base 
of  a  tower  (fig.  1).  The  commanding  site  of  this  structure  would 
seem  to  favor  the  theory  that  it  was  formerly  a  lookout,  but  the  few 
courses  of  worked  stones  forming  the  base  of  the  wall  show  that  it 
was  never  erected  to  any  considerable  height.  From  its  con- 
s])icuous  ])osition  this  building  overlooks  the  great  canyon  at  the 
south  of  the  mesa  and  from  it  one  can  look  down  Soda  Canyon  to 
Mancos  River  or  across  Cliff  Canyon  to  the  round  tower  in  Chff 
Palace.  This  was  probably  intended  for  a  ceremonial  room,  but 
may  have  been  a  lookout  or  tower.  There  is  ground  to  believe  tliat 
none  of  the  so-called  towers  of  the  Mesa  Verde,  ^lancos,  or  Monte- 
zuma valley  were  observatories,  but,  like  the  celebrated  ''tower"  in 
diff  Palace,  were  for  ceremonial  rites  connected  with  sun  worship. 
The  floor  of  this  unfinished  circular  building  is  very  uneven;  it  is 
made  by  the  natm^al  surface  of  rock  in  place  with  projections  that 
rise  slightly  higher  than  the  level  surface  of  the  cliff  outside.  This 
building  has  no  indications  of  fireplace  or  other  essentials  of  a  cliff 
house  kiva,  and  the  inner  wall  was  faced  with  smaller,  well-ch'essed 
stones  like  the  kivas  of  the  main  buildings. 

INCISED    MURAL    FIGL^ES. 

"We  find  in  this  ruin  numerous  examples  of  an  early  attempt  to 
embellish  the  walls  of  a  building  by  geometrical  figures  cut  in  their 
sm'faces.  Many  cliff  houses  are  known  to  have  their  walls  painted, 
but  designs  sculptured  on  component  stones  are  rare.  Several 
stones  with  incised  figures  were  set  in  the  walls,  but  the  majority 
were  found  on  rocks  that  had  fallen  from  the  top  of  the  walls.  No 
uniformity  in  their  position  in  the  rooms  was  noticeable,  and  the 
figures  were  not  continuous  enough  to  form  a  band  about  the  room. 
As  a  rule,  the  designs  are  geometric  (fig.  4),  not  unlike  tliose  on  painted 
pottery  from  the  ruins.  Roughly  speaking,  they  may  be  classed  in 
about  twelve  groups ;  half  of  the  stones  bearing  them  are  still  in  the 
walls,  and  the  indications  are  that  the  remaining  six,  picked  up  in 
the  debris,  were  once  laid  on  top  of  the  walls.  One  of  the  best  of 
those  (fig.  4n) ,  still  in  place  in  the  wall,  can  be  seen  in  the  masonry  of 
room  m,  a  short  distance  above  tho  floor.  It  represents  a  decorative 
figure,  well  known  on  black  and  white  i)ottcry,  and  was  probably 
introduced  for  decorative  purposes — cut  before  it  was  laid  in  place. 

A  figure  (fig.  4c)  representing  a  ladder  leaning  agaiiLst  a  wall  is 
incised  on  tho  left-hand  side  of  tho  entrance  to  room  o.  On  one 
side,  near  it,  is  an  outline  of  a  T-shaped  door  (fig.  4?;),  above  which 


SUN    TEMPLE^    MESA   VERDE    NATIONAL    PARK.  13 

is  a  cross,  not  very  deeply  cut  in  the  rock.  Near  the  top  of  the 
inner  wall  of  room  g,  on  the  west  side,  there  is  an  incised  figure 
(fig.  4/0,  commonly  found  on  pottery  and  on  the  inner  wall  of  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  plaza  another  pattern  is  obscurely  indicated. 
On  the  outside  of  the  building,  where  the  surrounding  north  wall  of 
the  Annex  is  supposed  to  have  merged  into  that  of  the  original 
l)uilding,  there  has  been  carefidly  cut  the  cross  already  mentioned,  as 
indicating  the  point  of  union  of  the  Annex  and  the  original  building. 
Among  the  figures  on  fallen  rocks  is  one  (fig.  4,  6)  which  represents 
the  plan  of  a  waU  of  masonry;  another  (fig.  4,  j)  has  flowing  water 
depicted  on  it;  others  have  turkey  tracks  (fig.  4,  a,  d)  and  various 
common  geometrical  designs  (fig.  4,  ~k,  I,  m,  o).  These  stones 
have  been  assembled  and  set  in  Portland  cement  near  the  outer  wall 
of  kiva  C.  The  importance  of  these  incised  figures  on  stones  set  in 
walls  lies  in  the  fact  that  they  seem  to  indicate  an  advance  in 
architectural  decoration  not  represented  in  other  prehistoric  buildings 
in  the  Southwest.  They  may  be  regarded  as  first  steps  in  mural 
scidpture,  a  form  of  decoration  that  reached  such  an  advanced  stage 
in  old  ruins  in  Mexico  and  Central  America.  Each  figure  may  have 
had  a  special  meaning  or  symbolic  significance  connected  with  the 
room  in  which  it  was  placed,  but  the  figures  seem  to  me  to  have  been 
introduced  rather  for  ornament  or  decorative  effect.  Their  exist- 
ence would  certainly  imply  that  it  was  not  intended  to  plaster  the 
walls  over  them,  and  I  think  there  is  a  reason  to  believe  that  they 
were  cut  on  the  stones  before  they  were  laid.  One  or  two  similarly 
incised  stones  have  been  reported  from  walls  of  the  Mesa  Verde 
cliff  houses,  where,  however,  their  existence  is  very  rare.  The  fine 
masonry,  the  decorated  stones,  and  the  unity  of  plan  stamp  Sun 
Temple  as  the  highest  example  of  Mesa  Verde  architecture. 

ROOMS    OTHER   THAX    KIVAS. 

There  are  24  rooms  besides  the  sacred  rooms  or  kivas  in  Sun  Temple. 
One  of  these  is  circular;  the  others  have  various  shapes,  with  a  general 
tendency  to  rectangular  form,  as  appears  in  the  ground  plan.  Four- 
teen of  these  surround  the  plaza  of  the  original  building,  and  the 
remainder  inclose  kiva  A  of  the  Annex. 

There  is  a  general  simdarity  in  four  of  these  rooms  on  the  south 
side.  These  have  straight  walls,  but  aU  the  remainder  are  curved, 
the  masonry  in  aU  being  somewhat  better  than  that  of  the  outside 
walls.  The  floors  of  these  rooms  are  the  solid  rock  surface  of  tlie 
cliff.  There  are  no  remains  of  adobe  floors  in  any  of  the  rooms,  the 
foundation  walls  resting  directly  on  a  solid  rock  base. 

The  rooms  in  the  Annex  vary  in  shape,  sometimes  conforming  with 
the  outside  wall  of  kiva  A.     Six  of  them  are  rectangular,  but  tlie 


14 


SUX    TEMPLE,  MESA   VEEDE    NATIONAL    PAEK. 


dimensions  mo  unlike  those  of  the  rooms  adjoining  the  south  wall. 
One  of  the  latter,  y,  formerly  had  a  doorway  opening  through  the 
south  wall,  which,  however,  was  closed.  It  has  been  suggested,  and 
certain  facts  support  the  belief,  that  the  rooms  of  the  so-called  Annex 
are  older  than  those  of  the  original  building,  but  the  ])alance  of 
evidence  is  that  the  Annex,  as  its  name  indicates,  was  erected  later. 
The  continuous  curve  of  the  north  wall,  in  which  no  break,  doors,  or 
windows  can  be  detected,  and  the  point  of  union  of  the  original  build- 
ing and  Annex,  have  led  others  to  tliinlc  that  the  two  divisions  were 
constructed  at  the  same  tune. 

The  surfaces  of  the  walls  of  many  rooms  (fig.  5)  have  been  rubbed 
smooth,  the  mai'ks  of  ]:)ecking  on  individual  stones  not  being  as  well 


Fig.  5. — Interior  of  Rrix,  Looking  East,  Showing  Cedar  Stump. 
(Photograph  by  Fred  Jeep.) 

shown  as  on  the  facing  of  the  outer  walls.  Roots  of  trees  formerly 
growing  on  the  ruin  have  made  their  way  between  the  courses  of 
stone  and  can  still  be  seen  in  the  walls. 

The  stones  out  of  which  the  walls  were  constructed  were  cjuarried 
on  the  mesa  top  near  the  ruin  and  are  of  the  same  sandstone  as  the 
cliff.  They  vary  in  size  and  in  degree  of  hardness,  some  specimens 
being  so  soft  that  their  surfaces  may  be  rubbed  off  b}^  hand.  On 
account  of  the  softness  of  these  rocks  it  was  not  a  difficult  feat  to 
fashion  them  into  shape ;  a  few  blocks  were  dressed  into  perfect  cul^es, 
their  faces  being  at  right  angles.  There  was  an  attempt  to  lay 
stones  of  the  same  thickness  in  the  same  course,  but  often  lines 
of  thick  stones  alternated  with  stones  half  as  large  (fig.  6).  Stones 
were  blocked  into  shape  by  cutting  grooves  on  opposite  faces  and 


SUlSr    TEMPLE^    MESA   VEKDE    XATIOXAL    PARK. 


15 


breaking  them  along  the  line  of  the  groove  with  malls  or  hammers. 
A  large  number  of  stone  hammers  and  pecking  stones  were  found  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Sun  Temple;  there  were  in  places  near  the 
foundations  of  the  walls  thick  deposits  of  broken  stones.  No  stone 
set  in  the  walls  was  too  large  to  be  carried  by  one  person. 


Fig.  6. — South  Wall,  Looking  West. 
(Photograph  by  Judge  Nippert.) 

WOODEN  BEAMS. 

The  absence  of  laro-o  wooden  l)cams  iudicatino-  roofs  is  a  nunarlv- 
able  feature  in  the  architecture  of  Sun  Temple.  Very  small  sticks 
and  logs  were  found  in  several  rooms,  but  these  were  exceptional 
adding  weight  to  the  conclusion  that  the  building  was  not  finished. 
The  builders  never  added  roofs.  The  few  beams  used  were  evidently 
stripped  of  bark,  cut  off  with  stone  imphnncMits,  aided  no  doubt  l^y 
fire,  in  much  the  same  way  as  the  rafters  of  cliff  houses.    "\Mion  logs 


9 


Fig.  7. — Ground  Plan  of  Sun  Temple,  Mesa  Verde  Natic 


L  Park,  Colorado 


18 


SUN    TEMPLE,  MESA   VERDE    NATIONAL   PARK. 


were  split  tliey  show  marks  of  wedges,  their  surfaces  exhil)iting' 
splinters  and  no  evidence  of  having  been  cut  or  planed.  Only  a  few 
lintels  were  discovered  in  position.  Some  of  these  simply  supported 
masonry  above  the  doorway  leading  from  one  room  to  another,  as 
e  and  f;  others  no  doubt  formerly  lay  on  the  pilasters  of  doorways 
communicating  between  adjoining  rooms,  as  a-1):  h-c:  c-d;  o-n;  n-m; 


Fig.  8. — West  Wall  of  Rooms  r/ and  <•.  Showing  DooinvAY. 

(Photograph  l)y  Judge  Nippert.) 

t-v.  The  lintels  which  remained  were  much  decayed  and  sagged  under 
the  weight  of  the  wall  above  them,  so  much  so  that  a  brace  of  mod- 
ern construction  was  introduced  to  support  them.  The  lintel  that 
held  up  the  covered  doorway  of  room  r  and  that  which  supported 
the  floor  of  room  z  above  the  trench  leading  into  kiva  A,  were  par- 
tially intact,  but  most  of  the  lintels  had  to  be  replaced  by  modern 
beams,  the  originals  being  much  decayed  (fig.  8). 


SUN    TEMPLE,    MESA   VERDE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


19 


No  signs  of  ladders  were  found,  although  it  must  have  been  the 
intention  of  the  builders  to  enter  the  inclosuro  by  some  such  means, 
since  there  are  no  evidences  of  external  dooi-ways  except  into  the 
plaza.  New  ladders  were  placed  at  convenient  points  of  the  south 
recess  by  means  of  which  one  may  ascend  to  the  top  of  the  south 


Fig.  9. — West  Exd  uf  IIoom  o.  I'aimi.v  I^xcavatkd. 
(I'hotograpli  by  Judge  Nippert.) 

wall  and  descend  into  the  plaza  opposite.    Probably  all  passageways 
had  stone  thresholds  and  lintels  of  split  logs. 

DOORWAYS. 

Four  of  the  rooms  surrounding  the  plaza  were  entered  (HnM-tly  l)y 
doorways;  one  of  these  led  into  room  d,  others  into  rooms  g,  l\  and  o. 
The  thresholds  of  the  doorways  are  commonly  constructed  of  large, 
flat,  well-trimmed  stones.  On  each  sid(^  of  tli(>  doorway  ai-e  iiilastei-s 
(fig.  9)  the  walls  of  which  are  u])right  and  the  ('oi-n(>rs  niadc^  o(  good 
masonry  (fig.  9).    Evidently  all  the  doorways  once  had  wooden  lintels 


20 


SUN    TEMPLE,  MESA   VERDE    NATIONAL   PARK. 


like  those  remaining  in  room  /.;  or  in  Iho  passageway  f rom  g  to  f, 
but  the  majority  have  long  since  decayed  and  disappeared.  Two 
openings,  the  only  ones  that  can  bo  identified  as  windows,  open 
from  tlie  recess  in  the  south  wall  into  rooms  a  on  one  side  and  o  on 
the  other.  The  wall  around  the  former  was  strengthened  and  pre- 
vented from  falling  by  insertion  of  a  modern  wooden  frame.  These 
openings  were  at  first  supposed  to  bo  doorways,  but  are  so  small  that 
we  can  not  regard  them  as  entrances.  The  window  leading  into 
room  o  had  a  bancpiette  on  the  west  wall.     Windows  in  the  recess 


Fk;.  10. — Sun  Shrine  from  Above. 

(Photograph  by  T.  G.  Lemmon.) 

and  not  in  outside  walls  impart  a  mystery  to   this  problematical 
building. 

SUN  SHRINE. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  structures  built  on  the  outside  walls 
of  the  building  is  near  the  southwest  corner  of  the  Annex.  This  cor- 
ner stands  on  a  solid  rock  that  projects  about  1^  or  2  feet  above  the 
otherwise  level  foundation  of  the  wall.  This  cornerstone  or  founda- 
tion of  the  corner  wall  protrudes  2  feet  beyond  the  building,  and 
on  its  upper  surface  is  a  fossil  with  central  depressed  zone  with  sharp 
radiating  ridges.  The  figure  (fig.  10)  is  not  artificial,^  but  is  possibly 
helped  out  by  artificial  means.     A  natural  object  with  these  charac- 

1  Mr.  F.  H.  Knowlton  of  the  U.  S.  National  Museum,  has  identified  this  formation  as  the  fossilleaf  of  a 
palm  tree  of  the  Cretaceous  epoch. 


SUX    TEMPLE^    MESA   VEKDE    NATIONAL    PAKK.  21 

ters  would  greatly  affect  a  primitive  mind,  and  no  doubt  was  regarded 
with  more  or  less  reverence  by  the  builders  of  the  Annex.  At  all 
events  they  have  partially  inclosed  this  emblem  with  walls  in  such  a 
way  as  to  inclose  the  figure  on  throe  sides,  leaving  the  inclosure  open 
on  the  fourth  or  west  side.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  walled 
inclosure  was  a  shrine,  and  the  figure  in  it  may  be  a  key  to  the  purpose 
of  the  building.  The  shape  of  the  figure  on  the  rock  suggests  a  symbol 
of  the  sun,  and  if  this  suggestion  be  correct  there  can  hardly  be  a 
doubt  that  solar  rites  were  performed  about  it  long  before  the  Sun 
Temple  was  built.  Practically  a  person  sitting  in  this  slmno  on  Sep- 
tember 21  observes  the  sun  sink  below  the  horizon  directly  in  front 
of  him. 

REPAIR  AND  PROTECTION. 

Too  strong  language  can  not  be  used  in  deprecation  of  the  butch- 
ering of  architectural  features  of  our  southwestern  ruins  by  pot  hun- 
ters, either  private  individuals  for  gain  or  representatives  of  insti- 
tutions under  the  name  of  scientific  research.  Much  attention  was 
was  given  to  the  preservation  of  the  walls  of  Sun  Temple,  and  the 
treatment  of  the  walls  for  this  purpose  is  believed  to  be  unique  in 
this  line  of  work  in  America.  I  endeavored  to  apply  the  most  ap- 
proved methods  of  repair  and  protection,  great  care  and  considerable 
expense  being  given  to  prevent  destruction  of  the  walls  by  the  ele- 
ments, in  order  to  preserve  them  for  inspection  by  students  and 
future  visitors. 

The  main  causes  of  destruction  of  this  ruin  were  not  vandals,  as 
at  Cliff  Palace,  but  the  elements,  especially  water.  After  it  was 
abandoned  the  tops  of  the  walls  were  exposed  to  the  sky  and  unpro- 
tected either  from  snow  or  rain  which  sometmies  falls  in  torrents. 
The  snow  was  particidarly  damaging,  for  the  water  from  the  melting 
snow  percolated  between  the  facings  and  the  core  of  the  wall,  and 
subsequently  froze,  forcing  the  facing  of  the  wall  away  from  the  cen- 
tral core  until  it  fell.  That  this  was  the  main  cause  of  deterioration 
is  shown  by  the  fact  that  as  a  rule  the  outer  facing  of  the  surround- 
ing wall  was  more  nearly  obliterated  to  a  lower  level  than  the  inner, 
and  as  a  rule  the  core  projected  often  a  foot  above  faces  of  the  wall. 
The  deleterious  cause  which  early  led  to  the  overtopping  and  destruc- 
tion of  walls  woidd  be  even  more  potent  when  they  were  excavated. 
Some  means  had  to  bo  devised  to  prevent  a  continuation  of  tlunr 
destruction  (fig.  11). 

Although  the  walls  of  the  building  were  so  massive  that  they  re- 
mained intact  to  the  height  of  the  top  of  the  mound,  thoy  were  par- 
tially held  up  by  an  accumulated  debris.  The  removal  of  earth  and 
fallen  rocks  weakened  them  so  much  that  some  provision  had  to  be 
made  to  counteract  this  loss  of  support.     In  order  to  ]-)r(n'ent  the 


22 


SUN    TEMPLE,  MESA   VERDE    NATIONAL    PAEK. 


water  from  molting  snow  from  ])(MU'trating  the  walls,  or  the  rain  from 
percolating  between  the  core  of  the  w;ill  and  its  facing,  I  placed  a 
cap  of  cement  on  the  tops  of  all  the  walls.  The  inner  facing  of  the 
outer  walls,  as  a  rule,  stood  a  few  courses  of  stone  higher  than  the 
outer,  and  it  was  necessary  to  add  masonry  to  bring  the  outer  wall 
to  the  level  of  the  core  and  iimer  facing.     Having  leveled  the  top  of 


Fig.  11. — Part  of  South  Wall,  Partly  Excavated. 
(Photograph  by  Judge  Nippert.) 

the  wall,  I  covered  it  wdth  small,  angular  fragments  of  stone,  placing 
these  fragments  highest  in  the  middle  or  over  the  core.  Over  this 
roof-lilvc  covering  w^as  spread  a  thick  layer  of  adobe.  The  top  of  the 
wall  w^as  thus  made  in  a  way  to  shed  water.  Over  this  roof  of  adol^e 
was  spread  a  layer  of  Portland  cement,  2  inches  thick,  mixed  in  pro- 
portion of  1  to  5,  care  being  taken  to  use  this  cement  freely  in  point- 


SUX    TEMPLE,    MESA   VEEDE    NATIONAL    PAEK. 


23 


ing  the  joints  in  the  facing  of  the  wall  in  order  to  prevent  the  entrance 
of  water  in  the  cracks  (fig.  12).  The  roof  shape  of  this  covering 
or  the  fact  that  it  is  highest  in  the  middle  will  shed  the  water  and 
throw  it  away  from  the  wall  without  harm.  The  layer  of  cement 
protects  the  adobe  used  in  pointing  the  walls  and  prevents  it  from 
being  washed  from  between  the  stones.  Direct  action  of  rain  beating 
on  the  surface  or  outside  of  the  wall  could  not  l)e  prevented  in  this 
way. 

The  tendency  of  visitors  to  walk  on  the  top  of  the  walls  is  well 
known.  This  act  would  become  a  serious  menace  to  a  ruin  with  walls 
of  the  magnitude  of  those  of  Sun  Temple.     In  order  to  prevent  the 


Fici.  12. — ('KMi:xriN(;  \\'ai.l  of  Itiocicss  ix  South  Wall. 
(Thotograph  by  Fred  Jeep.) 

wearing  away  of  the  cement  by  anyone  who  desired  to  walk  on  top 
of  the  walls,  a  row  of  stepping  stones  (fig.  13)  firmly  set  in  place  was 
provided. 

The  mass  of  debris,  earth  and  rocks,  constituting  the  remains  of  the 
mound  immediately  about  the  ruin  was  removed  and  the  ground 
graded  for  a  road.  In  the  progress  of  this  work  several  trees  had  to 
])e  cut  down,  a  few  being  left  in  conspicuous  positions  to  add  to  the 
picturesqueness  of  the  surroundings. 

The  dimensions  and  other  im2)()rtant  features  of  the  ruin  were 
plainly  marked  on  the  walls  with  black  paint;  kivas  and  other  rooms 
were  lettered  or  designated  in  the  manner  adopted  at  Cliff  Palace  and 
Spruce  Tree  House. 


24 


SUX    TEMPLE,  MESA    VERDE    NATIOXAL    PARK. 


AGE  OF  THE  BUILDING. 

Tho  usual  fiiK'stioii  askod  l)y  visitors  is,  What  is  the  ago  of  this 
mm  ?  This  question  is  difficult  to  answer,  for  it  is  impossi])le  to  tell 
when  Sun  Temple  was  begun,  how  long  it  was  being  built,  or  when  it 
was  deserted.  There  are  indications  that  its  walls  were  never  com- 
pleted, and  from  the  amount  of  fallen  stones  there  can  hardly  be  a 
doubt  that  when  it  was  abandoned  they  had  been  carried  up  in 
some  places  at  least  6  feet  above  their  present  level.  The  top  of  the 
wall  had  been  worn  down  at  any  rate  6  feet,  in  the  interval  between 
the  time  it  was  abandoned  and  the  date  of  mv  excavation  of  the 


Fio.  ]:^). — West  Rooms  of  Original  Building. 
(Photograph  by  T.  G.  Lemmon.) 

mound.  No  one  can  tell  the  length  of  this  interval  in  years.  We 
have,  however,  knowledge  of  the  lapse  of  time  since  the  mound  had 
accumulated  enough  soil  on  its  surface  to  support  growth  of  large 
trees.  In  the  Annex,  between  rooms  r  and  s,  near  the  summit  of  the 
highest  wall,  which  is  11  feet  3  inches  high,  there  grew  a  jmiiper  or 
red  cedar  of  great  antiquity,  alive  and  vigorous  when  I  began  work. 
This  tree  undoubtedly  sprouted  after  the  desertion  of  the  building, 
and  grew  after  a  mound  had  developed  from  fallen  walls.  Its  roots 
penetrated  into  the  adjacent  rooms  and  derived  nourishment  from 
the  soil  filling  them.  Necessarily  when  these  roots  were  cut  off, 
thereby  killing  the  tree,  I  was  obliged  to  fell  it,  but  the  stump  remains, 
cut  off  about  a  foot  above  the  ground  (fig.  14).     Three  hundred  and 


SUX    TEMPLE^    MESA   YEKDE    NATIONAL    PAKK, 


25 


sixty  annual  rings  were  counted  on  a  section  of  this  tree  by  Mr. 
Gordon  Parker,  supervisor  of  Montezuma  National  Forest.  Its  heart 
is  decayed,  hut  its  size  suggests  other  rings  and  that  a  few  more  years 
can  be  added  to  its  age.  It  is  not  improbable  that  this  tree  began  to 
grow  on  the  top  of  the  Sun  Temple  mound  shortly  after  the  year  1540 
when  Coronado  hrst  entered  New  Mexico,  but  how  grc^at  an  interval 
elapsed  during  which  the  waUs  fell  to  form  tlie  mound  in  which  it 
grew,  and  how  much  earlier  the  foundations  of  the  ruined  walls  were 
laid  no  one  can  tell.  A  conservative  guess  of  250  years  is  allowablo 
for  the  interval  between  construction  and  the  time  the  cedar  be^an 


-k'.  '"'^"^. 
•A-**^,     ._..  " 


Fk;.  14. — West  End  of  Plaza,  Showing  Kiva  B  and  Stump  of  Old  Cedar. 
(Fliotographby  T.  G.  Lemmon.) 

to  sprout,  thus  carrying  the  antiquity  of  Sun  Temple  back  to  about 
1300  A.  D.  ' 

From  absence  of  data  the  relative  age  of  Sun  Temple  and  Cliff 
Palace  is  equally  obscure,  but  it  is  my  firm  conviction  that  Sun 
Temple  is  the  younger,  mainly  because  it  showed  unmistakable  evi- 
dences of  a  higher  sociological  condition  of  the  builders;  but  here 
again  we  enter  a  realm  of  speculation  which  merely  adds  to  the 
mystery  of  the  building. 

Near  the  northeast  curve  of  the  outer  wall,  al)Out  G  feet  abovc>  the 
base  level  and  4  feet  east  of  the  wall  itself,  there  grew  another  red 
cedar  which  had  sent  a  large  root  through  the  wall  into  one  of  tlio 
rooms.  A  section  of  this  cedar,  the  trunk  of  which  was  tied  to  the 
root  witli  wire,  can  now  be  seen.     It  has  '.V.V2  aiHiual  rings,  inchcating 


26  SUN    TEMPLE,  MESA   VERDE    NATIONAL   PAEK. 

that  ov(M-  three   centuries   ago   the  fallen  Avail  had  iilled  in  around 
the  north  wall  to  the  depth  of  2  yards. 

PURPOSE  OF  THE  BUILDING. 

Many  theoi'ic^s  have  heen  advanced  to  ex]dain  the  purpose  of  this 
structure,  but  most  of  these  can  he  eliminated  without  difficulty. 
The  theory  that  it  was  a  prison,  a  Spanish  mission,  or  a  theater 
may  be  dismissed  without  serious  consideration. 

The  position  of  the  ruin  has  led  several  visitors  to  suggest  that  the 
building  was  constructed  for  a  fortification  for  defense  against 
hostile  invaders.  This  theory  is  not  a  fanciful  one,  but  while  it 
might  have  been  constructed  in  part  for  this  purpose,  protection 
from  foes  was  only  a  secondary  consideration.  The  care  given  to 
its  construction,  its  shape  and  size,  absence  of  portholes,  and  height 
of  walls  are  not  such  as  we  would  expect  in  a  fort. 

There  is  no  good  evidence  supporting  the  theory  that  it  was 
erected  to  serve  as  a  habitation.  The  rooms  have  not  a  form  adapted 
for  any  such  utilitarian  purpose.  They  have  no  windows,  and  it  was 
not  intended  to  plaster  their  walls,  as  the  incised  stones  clearly 
indicate;  there  are  no  evidences  of  fireplaces,  no  smoked  walls,  no 
ashes  or  charcoal,  no  metates  for  grinding  corn,  no  piles  of  debris, 
such  as  are  usually  formed  about  a  habitation.  Few  households 
implements,  such  as  bowls  and  baskets,  were  found.  There  were 
no  burials  and  no  animal  bones — remnants  of  former  feasts.  While 
it  is  not  impossible  that  it  might  have  been  intended  to  later  add 
an  upper  story  for  dwellings,  attention  may  be  called  to  the  fact 
that,  although  some  of  the  rooms  have  walls  about  12  feet  high, 
they  show  no  evidence  of  floor  beams  or  of  holes  for  their  insertion. 
The  lower  rooms  were  too  high  for  dwellings,  for  a  dwelling  room  over 
6  feet  from  floor  to  ceiling  is  anomolous  in  cliff  houses  or  pueblos. 
It  has  been  suggested  that  these  rooms  were  intended  later  for 
storage,  but  this  theory  is  highly  improbable,  for  these  dark,  win- 
dowless  chambers  would  be  too  poorly  lighted.  The  lateral  en- 
trances to  some  of  them  on  the  plaza  would  be  an  unusual  feature, 
as  a  series  of  chambers  used  for  storage  rooms  connected  in  this 
unusual  manner  are  unknown  in  pue])los.  The  theory  that  this 
building  was  intended  as  a  dwelling  is  highly  improbable. 

The  argument  that  appeals  most  strongly  to  my  mind  supporting 
the  theory  that  Sun  Temple  was  a  ceremonial  building  is  the  unity 
shown  in  its  construction.  A  preconceived  plan  existed  in  the  minds 
of  the  builders  before  they  began  work  on  the  main  building.  Sun 
Temple  was  not  constructed  haphazard  nor  was  its  form  due  to 
addition  of  one  clan  after  another,  each  adding  rooms  to  an  existing 
nucleus.     There  is  no  indication  of  patching  one  building  to  another, 


SUN    TEMPLE,    MESA   VERDE    NATIONAL    PARK.  27 

SO  evident  at  Cliff  Palace,  and  other  large  cliff  dwellings.  The  con- 
struction of  the  recess  in  the  south  wall  situated  exactly,  to  an  inch, 
midway  in  its  length,  shows  it  was  planned  from  the  beginning. 
We  can  hardly  believe  that  one  clan  could  have  been  numerous 
enough  to  construct  a  house  so  large  and  massive.  Its  walls  are  too 
extensive;  the  work  of  dressing  the  stones  too  great.  Those  who 
made  it  must  have  belonged  to  several  clans  fused  together,  and  if 
they  united  for  this  common  work  they  were  in  a  higher  stage  of 
sociological  development  than  the  loosely  connected  population  of  a 
cliff  dwelling.  In  primitive  society  only  one  purpose  could  have 
united  the  several  clans  who  built  such  a  structure,  and  this  purpose 
must  have  ])een  a  religious  one.  This  building  was  constructed  for 
worship,  and  its  size  is  such  that  we  may  practically  call  it  a  temple. 

On  the  theory  that  it  was  intended  for  that  purpose  we  can  easily 
interpret  one  or  two  facts  that  otherwise  are  without  significance. 
The  shi'ine  at  its  southwest  corner  stone  is  worthy  of  notice  in  this 
connection.  It  bears  on  its  floor  a  symbol  which  resembles  the  sun 
and  which  implies  complex  ceremonies.  No  one  doubts  that  the  three 
massive,  circular  walled  rooms,  two  in  the  main  plaza  and  one  in  the 
Annex,  are  religious  rooms,  and  a  glance  at  the  ground  plan  shows 
they  are  prominent  architectural  features.  Tliey  show  from  their 
prominence  that  whatever  theory  of  the  use  of  Sun  Temple  we  adopt 
we  must  not  overlook  the  ceremonial  object.  The  existence  of  many 
rooms  entered  from  the  roofs  and  the  absence  of  external  doors  in  all, 
implies  secrecy.  The  mysteries  here  performed  were  not  open  to  all, 
only  the  initiated  could  enter.  Comment  has  already  been  made  on 
the  fact  that  practically  no  household  implements  were  found  in  the 
rooms,  which  has  been  interpreted  to  mean  that  the  building  was 
never  finished.  It  also  signifies  that  the  workmen  did  not  live  in  or 
near  by  during  construction;  the  question  is  pertinent,  'Wliere  did 
they  live  ?  On  the  theory  that  this  was  erected  by  people  from  several 
neighboring  cliff  dwellings  for  ceremonies  held  in  common,  we  may 
suppose  that  the  buUders  came  daily  from  their  dwellings  in  Cliff 
Palace  and  other  houses,  and  returned  at  night,  after  they  had  finished 
work,  to  their  homes.  The  trails  down  the  sides  of  the  cliffs  which  the 
workmen  used  are  still  to  be  seen.  The  place  was  frequentcMl  by 
many  people,  but  there  is  no  evidence  that  any  one  clan  dwelt  near 
this  mysterious  building  during  its  construction. 

Other  cjuestions  arise:  Was  Sun  Temple  constructed  by  an  intrusive 
people  of  diflerent  stock  from  that  of  Cliff  Palace^  Is  it  the  work 
of  a  migratory  ])and  that  entered  the  region  from  the  valleys  surround- 
ing Mesa  Verde;  or  was  it  built  by  an  alien  pcoph^  not  closely  allifvl 
to  those  of  Cliff"  Palace,  but  more  like  pueblos  of  New  Mexico  t     The 


28  SUN    TEMPI.E,  MESA    VF.RDE    NATIONAL    PAKK. 

differencos  hetwoon  the  architecture  of  Sun  Temple  and  that  of  the 
neighboring  chff  dwellings  and  its  similarity  in  form  to  some  of  the 
ruins  in  the  Chaco  Canyon,  New  Mexico,  seems  to  lend  some  support 
to  the  theory  that  its  Iniilders  were  aliens,  or  cultin-ally  different  from 
cliff  dwellers.  This  theory  scenes  to  me  iintenahle,  for  where  did 
these  incoming  aliens  live  while  hiiilding  it  '.  How  could  they  work 
there  unmolested? 

The  D  form  of  Sun  Temple  is  practically  the  same  as  that  of  Pueblo 
Bonito  in  the  Chaco  Canyon,  and  would  seem  to  support  the  theory 
of  a  relation  of  the  builders  of  both  as  far  as  architecture  is  concerned. 
But  except  this  superficial  likeness  in  form  to  the  letter  D  there  are 
only  remote  resend^lances  between  the  forms  of  Chaco  Canyon  ruins 
and  that  of  Sun  Palace.  The  rooms  of  Puel)lo  Bonito  are  numerous 
and  show  many  evidences  of  having  been  used  as  habitations;  they 
were  constructed  at  different  times.  Its  ground  plan  shows  no  unity 
of  action.  The  kivas  of  the  two  have  points  in  common,  as  a  circular 
form  above  ground;  and  kiva  C  appears  to  have  the  beginning  of  a 
sc^uare  surrounding  wall,  which  is  a  common  feature  in  Pueblo  Bonito 
kivas.  The  passage  under  the  kiva  floor,  interpreted  by  some  as  a 
ventilator  and  by  others  as  a  ceremonial  opening,  are  alike  in  the 
Chaco  ruin  and  in  Sun  Temple.  Tlie  rooms  of  Chaco  Canyon  ruins, 
as  figured  by  Jackson,^  have  none  of  the  characteristic  passageways 
leading  from  one  room  to  another  found  in  Sun  Temple.  These  doors 
have  no  pedestals  on  each  side,  such  as  are  found  in  Sun  Temple. 
The  rooms  there  are  arranged  in  multiple,  not  single  rows.  Like- 
nesses to  one  or  two  other  Chaco  Canyon  ruins  are  significant,  but 
hardly  adecpiate  to  show  an  identity  in  culture. 

The  argument  that  cliff  dwellers  in  the  neighborhood  built  Sun 
Temple  and  that  incoming  aliens  had  nothing  to  do  with  its  con- 
struction seems  to  me  very  strong.  The  architectural  differences 
between  it  and  Cliff  Palace  are  not  ol)jections,  for  the  architectural 
form  of  Sun  Temple  may  be  regarded  as  a  repetition,  in  the  open,  of 
a  form  of  Inulding  that  developed  in  a  cliff  house;  the  rounded  north 
wall  (fig.  15)  conforms  with  the  rear  of  a  cave  and  the  straight  south 
wall  reproduces  the  front  of  a  cliff  dwelling.  Tlie  recess  midway  in  the 
south  wall  of  Sun  Temple  could  be  likened  without  forcing  the  com- 
parison to  a  similar  recess  which  occurs  at  the  main  entrance  into 
Cliff  Palace. 

Sun  Temple  was  not  built  by  an  alien  people,  but  by  the  cliff 
dwellers  as  a  specialized  buihhng  mainly  for  religious  purposes,  and 
so  far  as  known  is  the  first  of  its  type  recognized  in  the  Mesa  Verde 
area.     I  am  confident  that  the  group  of  mounds  around  a  circular 

1  See  W.  H.  Jackson,  Report  on  the  Ancient  Ruins  examined  in  1S75  and  1S77.    Chapter  H,  Ruins  of 
the  Chaco  Canyon,  examined  in  1S77.    Tenth  Ann.  Rept.  U .  S.  Geol.  Geog.  Sai\  ey  Terr. 


SUN"    TEMPLE,    MESA    VEEDE    XATIOXAL    PARK. 


29 


pueblo,  now  callod  a  reservoir  and  known  as  Munmi}'  Lake,  and  the 
great  mounds  near  it,  will  furnish  a  key  to  unlock  this  mystery,  for 
these  show  evidences  of  ha^'ing  been  inhabited,  and  if  their  ground 
plans  resemble  that  of  Sun  Temple,  they  must  be  akin  to  it. 

Last  of  all  is  the  theory  that  resemblances  in  Chaco  Canyon  ruins, 
situated  on  a  southern  tributary  of  the  San  Juan  River,  and  ruins  on 
the  northern  canyons  of  the  same  stream,  mean  that  the  culture  and 
architectural  features  of  the  former  are  extensions  of  the  latter.  Or, 
stated  otherwise,  is  the  mythical  place  of  emergence  from  the  earth, 
or  the  well-lviiown  sipapu  of  pueblo  mythology,  a  poetic  way  of 
stating  a  fact  in  culture  history?  A  consideration  of  this  theory  is 
left  to  a  more  appropriate  pu))lication. 


Fig.  15. — Outer  Northeast  Wall. 
(Photograph  by  Fred  Jeep.) 


RECOMMENDATION  FOR  FUTURE  ARCHiEOLOGICAL  WORK  IN 

THE  PARK. 

It  is  difficult  when  so  much  repair  work  on  tlie  nuns  in  the  park  is 
needed  to  designate  any  one  ruin  in  preference  to  others,  but  from  a 
scientific  point  of  view  I  have  no  hesitation  in  recommending  one  line 
of  field  work  before  all  others. 

The  Mesa  Verde  is  unique  in  its  educational  importance.  It  is 
destined  ultimately  to  be  a  Mecca  for  all  students  of  tlie  jirehistory 
of  the  Southwest  and  an  object  lesson  to  all  visitors  who  a\  ish  to  see 
the  best  preserved  buildings  of  pre-Columl)ian  times  in  our  country. 
It  is  self-evident  tliat  the  excavation  and  repair  of  all  the  ruins  in 
this  park  can  not  be  accomplished  in  a  few  yeai-s,  even  were  it  ch'sira- 


30  SUN    TEMPLE,  MESA   VERDE    NATIONAL   PARK. 

h\o  to  attempt  it;  the  work  means  many  3-ears  of  arduous  devotion, 
intelligently  directed,  and  a  large  sum  of  money.  It  is  desirable  to 
open  up  these  precious  remains  of  antiquity  carefully,  followmg  a 
definite  plan,  availing  ourselves  of  methods  acquired  ])y  experience. 
The  work  should  ])c  done  with  care,  and  it  will  be  an  additional 
attraction  if  visitors  can  see  how  the  work  is  done. 

Three  good  representations  of  the  type  of  ruins  called  cliff  dwellings 
have  ah'cady  been  excavated  and  repaired,  viz,  Cliff  Palace,  Spruce 
Tree  House,  and  Balcony  House,  to  which  I  have  this  year  added 
another  of  the  same  type,  viz,  Oak  Tree  (Willow)  House.  Although 
we  have  always  thought  of  the  ruins  of  the  Mesa  Verde  as  cliff  dwell- 
ings, the  work  this  summer  has  greatly  broadened  our  ideas  of  tlie 
architecture  and  hence  the  culture  of  the  aborigmes  of  Mesa  Verde. 
There  has  been  brought  to  light  a  new  type,  which  is  a  new  attraction 
and  adds  a  new  zest  to  the  study.  Two  or  possibl}-  three  other  types 
await  the  shovel  and  pick  of  the  explorer.  The  great  mounds  near 
Mummy  Lake,  which  itself  is  a  new  type  of  ruin,  should  be  excavated 
and  repaired.  Work  on  the  group  will  reveal  important  architec- 
tural features,  and  add  much  to  our  scientific  information.  The 
Mummy  Lake  cluster  of  mounds  lies  on  the  mahi  road  from  Mancos, 
Colo.,  to  Spruce  Tree  House,  and  with  this  advantageous  position 
work  here  will  from  its  inception  arrest  the  attention  of  visitors  iaid 
increase  interest  in  the  park.  But  excavation  and  repair  of  the  nine 
large  mounds  in  the  !Mummy  Lake  cluster  will  be  a  work  of  greater 
magnitude  than  any  in  this  Ime  yet  undertaken  on  the  park.  I  have 
roughly  estimated  that  the  cost  of  excavatmg  and  repairing  the  wliole 
cluster  would  not  l)e  far  from  $8,000,  ])ut  the  work  could  be  distrib- 
uted through  several  years,  and  a  fair  beginning  could  be  made  in 
one  season  with  $3,500.  I  have  the  honor  to  recommend  that  this 
be  the  next  scientific  work  on  the  park. 

In  addition  to  the  excavation  and  repair  of  Sun  Palace,  I  made 
ladders  and  trails  to  Oak  Tree  (Willow  ^)  House  and  Painted  House, 
the  two  cliff  dwellings  of  size  in  Fewkes  Canyon,  follo^ving  the  ancient 
trail  do\\ai  the  precipice  on  wliich  Sun  Temple  stands.  Oak  Tree 
(Willow)  House,  which  is  two-thirds  the  size  of  Spruce  Tree  House, 
was  excavated  and  repaired  and  forms  a  valua])le  addition  to  the 
hst  of  repaired  clifT  ruins.  It  has  four  large  kivas,  one  of  which  is 
D-shaped,'  and  is  unique  among  other  ruins  in  having  a  granary,  the 

1  As  there  is  a  conspicuous  cluster  of  oak  trees  near  the  east  end  of  this  ruin  and  no  willows,  I  suggest  the 
name  Willow  House  be  transferred  to  the  small  clill  houses  under  Sun  Temple  on  the  trail  lielow  which 
grow  several  willow  trees. 

2  This  ceremonial  room  belongs  to  the  second  typo  of  circular  kivas  or  those  without  pedestals  for  a 
vaulted  roof.  This  is  the  same  type  as  the  D-shaped  tower  kivas  of  Ruin  Canyon  and  the  McElmo,  and 
allied  to  the  Annex  of  Sun  Temple. 


SUN    TEMPLE,    MESA   VERDE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


31 


walls  of  wliich  were  made  of  plastered  osiers  covered  mtli  adobe,  a 
type  of  construction  not  only  very  unusual  in  the  Mesa  Verde  Park, 
but  also  elsewhere.  Many  instructive  artifacts  were  found  in  this 
ruin.  The  relation  of  a  D-shaped  kiva  in  a  cliff  dwelUng  and  the 
D-shaped  ground  plan  of  Sun  Palace  ^^^ll  be  discussed  elsewhere. 

Painted  House,  which  is  a  ceremonial  court  Hanked  ])y  builchngs 
with  painted  walls,  hes  somewhat  nearer  the  head  of  Fewkes  Canyon 
than  Oak  Tree  House.  It  is  practically  a  dance  plaza  ^vithout  kivas, 
but  A\'ith  rectangular  rooms  at  each  end.  The  so-called  painted  room 
has  figures  of  rain  clouds,  cacti,  men,  and  animals,  forming  a  kind 


Fig.  1G. — First  Automobile  to  Round  the  Ruin,  Near  Nuutiiea.st  Wall. 
(Photograph  by  T.  G.  Lemmon.) 

of  frieze  visible  on  three  sides.  These  figures  are  very  much  damaged, 
but  enough  remains  to  show  that  the  room  in  which  they  occur  was 
probably  once  used  in  a  ceremony  akin  to  the  New  Fire  Ceremony  of 
the  llopi.  The  phallic  figures  wliich  six  years  ago  were  conspicuous 
paintings  on  the  walls  no  longer  exist,  ha^'ing  been  destroyed  by  van- 
dals, but  there  still  remains  other  paintings  that  are  well  preserved, 

Wliile  engaged  in  the  work  above  mentioned,  informal  camp-fire 
talks  were  given  to  A-isitors  in  which  an  efi'ort  was  made  to  explain 
the  ruins  and  present  related  archaeological  problems.  These  talks 
were  well  attended,  the  audience  sometimes  numbering  20  or  30  per- 


32 


SUX    TEMPLE,  MESA    Vl'.ItDE    NATIONAL    PARK. 


sons.  In  order  to  facilitate  access  to  wSun  TcMuplc^  a  road  was  c  )i  - 
structcd  around  the  ruin  for  automobiles  (fig.  16),  so  that  one  ca.' 
now  alight  a  few  steps  from  any  point  of  the  walls.  The  automol  iL-;. 
themselves  ])raetically  made  the  road,  through  the  cedars  to  camp. 

My  report  on  the  fascinating  work  at  the  ]\Iesa  Verde  Natitui  i! 
Park  during  the  past  summer  would  be  incomplete  if  I  did  not  exp/es  ■ 
my  great  pleasure  in  ha^ang  had  the  opportunity  to  uncover  a  :ie 
type    of   ruin,    the    discovery    of    which    is    a    se^^^ce    to  Ameri.-a. 
arcliJBology. 


Fui.  17. — Sun  Tkjiple,  Before  Excavation,  froji  Northeast. 

o 


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CIRCULATION  DEPl 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  BERKELEY 
FORM  NO.  DD6,  60m,  3    80  y  CA  94720 


coaa^isfifi 


